At Arm's Length
by beeftony
Summary: Shego always knew her powers were harmful, but she never knew how dangerous they could be to the one she loves. Not recommended if you don't like angst. Friendship KiGo. This means no kissy face. Oneshot. Usual disclaimer applies.


As bars go, it isn't the best, but it's not the worst either. The seedy lighting is barely enough to illuminate the patrons, who lay scattered around the building in various stages of drunkenness. A man lays passed out on a table near the stage, where a singer with a moustache and a cowboy hat croons out an old country tune.

_Everything I love is killing me  
Cigarettes, Jack Daniels and caffeine  
And that's the way you're turning out to be  
Everything I love, gonna have to give up  
'Cause everything I love is killing me_

The lyrics briefly catch the attention of a woman at the bar, who sits downing a bottle of absinthe. It's supposed to be illegal, but then this bar isn't exactly a hangout for the law-abiding. Besides, it's the only thing strong enough to give her even a hint of a buzz. She looks at the stage for a brief moment, her emerald eyes studying the performer, trying to find any familiar features. She concludes that he merely reminded her of someone else and turns back to her drink. All music sounds the same when you're drunk.

"You seem troubled, my child." A deep voice to her right causes the woman to turn her head to examine its source. Her eyes behold an elder Japanese man, with a flowing white beard and moustache, dressed in a crimson robe. His snow colored hair is tied in a short ponytail. His eyes are almost completely closed, enough so that the woman can't get a good read on them. However, the man's warm smile tells her all she needs to know.

"Ya think?" the raven-haired woman replies sarcastically. "Why else would I come to a bar at midnight? To sneak into the men's restroom and piss on the urinal cakes?"

"There are many reasons one comes to a bar," the old man says. "Some come for the company of others, some come to be alone, and others do not care either way, as long as they can escape their troubles. Tell me: what is it that troubles you?"

"Do you really care?"

"In all honesty, I cannot say that I do. But that is merely because we are not acquainted enough for me to extend feelings of sympathy. What is your name?"

"Shego. What's yours?"

"Do you really care?"

Shego chuckles. "I guess not. I feel kind of stupid for not thinking of that line myself."

The old man smiles. "Ah, but you did think of it. I used it against you. That is no reason for you to feel stupid. In fact, think of it as a joke among friends."

"You really wanna be friends with me?" Shego doesn't know why she is still talking to this man. But there is something oddly soothing about his voice that encourages her to open up.

"How else will I find out what it is that troubles you so?"

"You _do_ care," Shego observes slyly. She sighs. "It's complicated."

"Life is such. But in order to offer my sympathies I must know the specifics."

"Well," Shego says as she downs another sip of her drink. "I'm not going anywhere for awhile. You got an hour?"

"I have all the time in the world, my child."

"Would you quit calling me that? My name's Shego."

"As you wish, Shego-san." He signals the bartender. "Beer, please."

"Not saké?" Shego teases.

The man appears to smile, at least it looks that way by the way his moustache rises. "Even the eternal beauty of the cherry blossom can grow ugly if it is all one gazes upon," he says cryptically. "Sometimes a change of scenery is required."

Shego puzzles this over in her head for a few moments. "You're tired of Japanese alcohol," she translates.

"Correct, Shego-san. Now what is it about that song that troubles you so?"

"What so—oh, right. Well, like I said, it's complicated. I'm not on the receiving end of the slow death. I'm the one giving it."

"That sounds most distressing indeed," the stranger comments as the bartender gives him his drink.

"Yeah, and the person I'm killing happens to be the one person who ever accepted me for who I really am."

"A tree, when placed too close to other plants, can undercut their roots and cause them to die from lack of nourishment," the man opines.

Shego nods, understanding instantly. "It's always the ones closest to us who pay the biggest price," she says.

"Indeed," the man agrees, taking a sip of his beer. "Tell me—who is it?"

"That's the interesting part," Shego says. "You're gonna wanna stay sitting down for this one. It all started about a month ago…."

* * *

"You're getting good, Princess," Shego said as she ducked a high roundhouse kick from her opponent, responding with an uppercut that the redhead gracefully dodged. "I'm not having to hold back on you as much."

Her red-haired opponent scoffed as she feinted with a right hook, which was easily blocked, enabling her to knee Shego in the side with her left leg. "You held back on me? Please. I beat you fair and square every time."

Shego smiled wickedly as she blocked an overhand strike. "Not every time, Kimmie. I knocked you on your ass a few times." To prove her point, she shoved Kim to the ground and leapt high into the air, aiming for the redhead with her knee. Kim rolled out of the way, however, and Shego's leg struck nothing but concrete. "Besides," she continued, standing up just in time to deflect a left hook. "You really think a fourteen year old cheerleader could have kept up with me? I could have snapped you in half like a twig if I wanted to." She aimed for Kim's chin with a quick jab.

"So why didn't you?" Kim taunted, ducking under Shego's punch and attempting to sweep the green woman's legs. Her plan was thwarted, however, when Shego jumped and Kim's leg passed harmlessly underneath.

"I wanted to give you a fighting chance," Shego replied with a smile. "I don't like killing people while they're trussed up. Why do you think it was so easy for you to get out of all those deathtraps?" Kim lunged at her with her arm outstretched, forcing Shego to bend over backwards to avoid being hit.

"Drakken's an idiot?" Kim suggested, turning to face her opponent once more. They began to circle each other.

Shego chuckled. "Well, that's true, but he's not the one who set the traps. I always made sure there was a way for you to get out. Even if I wouldn't jump in there and help you directly."

Kim stopped circling and dropped her fists. "You sabotaged Drakken's deathtraps? Why?"

Shego took advantage of her opponent's momentary confusion and launched a quick jab to Kim's upper chest, just above her breasts. This appeared to knock the wind out of the redhead, allowing Shego to follow up with a roundhouse kick to her midsection. Kim now lay supine on the floor. Shego sauntered up to her and leaned over her rival. "Because anybody else would have killed you after doing what I just did. You're momentarily defenseless; powerless to counter; I could do anything I wanted with you right now. But I'm not going to."

Kim just lay there. She didn't appear to want to fight anymore. "Why not?"

The green woman sighed and extended her hand to Kim. While she had intended the initial remark as a taunt, Shego now found herself in the middle of a conversation she'd been trying to avoid. She led her opponent over to a bench that sat against the wall of the abandoned warehouse where until a few seconds ago the two had been dueling. "The same reason I saved you from that alien freak," Shego said, sitting down and patting the seat next to her, inviting Kim to do the same. "I don't like kicking people while they're down."

"And because you want to kill me for yourself," Kim retorted.

"I don't want to kill you," Shego said in all seriousness.

This caught Kim off guard. "You don't?"

A wry smile formed at the edge of Shego's dark lips. "Nope, that whole, 'that's my job' remark was just saving face. Didn't want people thinking I'd gone soft. I mean, I wanted to kill you at first, but you've sorta grown on me."

"Why don't you want to kill me now?" Kim repeated.

Shego sighed and leaned her head against the wall. Time for the hard part. "Because you remind me of myself, Kimmie. Of how I used to be before I turned evil. I don't know, I guess… I guess some part of me wanted to see you succeed. To see you do what I couldn't." She turned to the redhead with a note of seriousness in her emerald eyes. "I'm past saving, Kimmie. No matter what I do, I'm not gonna be a goodie-two shoes again. But you… you've got your whole life ahead of you. You're a hero and you're popular. Do you have any idea how rare that is? You've got something special, kiddo, and I don't want some idiot like Drakken ruining it."

Kim simply stared at Shego for the next several moments before speaking. "You're not past saving."

Out of all the things Shego had expected to hear after pouring her soul out to the young woman, that was the one thing she hadn't been prepared for. It was also the one thing she needed to hear. "You really mean that?" she asked softly after several moments.

Shego suddenly felt her hand lifted and placed into Kim's. The redhead looked deep into her eyes and spoke. "Yes, I do mean that. You don't have to be good again, you can just… I don't know, not be evil? I mean, you make it sound like the only reason you're still a criminal is because you don't know how to be anything else."

"I don't," Shego replied softly as she dipped her head. Suddenly, she laughed as the ridiculousness of the situation dawned on her. "You know what's funny? Here I am, the big bad Shego, pouring my heart out to a cheerleader that I've fought for four years. Here I thought being evil would be better than being a hero. And it was for a while, but it's gotten boring now. Villains get to do all the fun stuff, but it's an awfully lonely business. I don't have any real friends. Everyone's too suspicious to trust anyone else. And yet, the one person I can open up to is the person who hates me."

"I don't hate you," Kim said reassuringly, causing Shego to look her in the eyes again. "I mean, sure, I was pissed at you the night I kicked you into the electrical tower, but I didn't mean it. I forgave you a long time ago."

"I'd say the same, but forgiveness isn't exactly what us villains do," Shego replied wittily.

"So don't be a villain anymore," Kim said seriously. "You don't have to be a hero either. Just… be whatever you wanna be."

Shego appeared to ponder this for several minutes. "I'll think about it," she said finally.

Kim released the green woman's hand. "So… do you still wanna fight?"

The pale woman grinned. "I still get to do that if I'm not evil anymore, right?"

"You can spar with me anytime you like, Shego," Kim said with a smile as she stood to her feet and raised her fists. Shego did the same. "And you don't have to hold back, either. I'm a big girl now."

"I'll say," Shego replied as she lit up her hands and grinned devilishly. "Here it comes, Kimmie."

Kim narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Bring it on."

* * *

"And what happened after that?" the old man asks back in the present.

Shego smiles. "Well, I quit Drakken's employ, since my contract was up anyway. I wanted to hire myself out as a mercenary, but Kimmie threatened to let me face the justice system if I did that. So we compromised and I got an honest job as a teacher at her school in exchange for her pulling a few strings to get me back on the right side of the law."

"From the way you speak of her, it sounds like your feelings for her run very deep."

"Oh no, we're not like that. We're just friends. She's dating that sidekick of hers, Ron Stoppable." Shego can't help but notice that the man's eyes perk up at the mention of that name. She dismisses it as nothing. "Anyway, after we got past the whole good/evil thing, we became kinda like sisters," she finishes.

"Sisters tend to have many conflicts," the old man observes. "Is that why you are here?"

Shego nods. "But I'm not ready to get to that part yet. I've still got awhile to go."

"I will listen for as long as you need, my child."

"Shego."

"Shego-san."

Shego rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Do you wanna hear the rest of the story or not?"

"As you say here in America, I am all ears."

"Good. So anyway, I got a job at her school…."

* * *

"So, Shego, you wanna swing by Bueno Nacho after school?" The question came from Kim, who was gathering her supplies as she prepared to leave the classroom. The blonde next to her did not take so kindly to that proposition.

"KP, Bueno Nacho is supposed to be _our_ hangout. Why are you always bringing Shego along?"

"Because, _Ron_, Shego is our _friend_ now. And I like hanging out with _friends_." She emphasized just the right words to drive her point home, poking Stoppable's chest to impress her ultimatum on him fully.

"Sometimes I get the feeling that you and Shego are closer friends than we used to be," Ron complained, crossing his arms childishly.

Kim just smiled. "_Used_ to be? Ron, we're _dating_ now. That's _leagues_ beyond what I have with Shego. Besides, if we weren't close, could I do this?" She attacked the boy with her lips, giving him a long, exaggerated kiss. Shego smiled. They were cute together. But for some reason, she couldn't help feeling just a little bit jealous. She quickly brushed the thought to the side.

"To answer your original question, sure, I'd love to go," Shego spoke up just loud enough to cause the two lovebirds to separate. She grinned wickedly at their blushing faces.

Ron decided to try one last tactic of dissuading Shego from coming. "Well, I've got football practice, and Kim's got cheer practice, so…."

"…It's gonna take awhile?" Shego finished. "No prob. By the time I'm done with all this paperwork, you two should be off. Then we'll all meet up at Bueno Nacho."

"It's a plan," Kim said. Ron merely grumbled and left the room.

"He's not adjusting that well, is he?" Shego observed as she came up to Kim's side. The two stared at Ron as he narrowly avoided bumping into a group of students.

"He'll come around," Kim assured Shego with a wave of her hand. "He was this way with Monique, too."

"Monique…." Shego tapped her chin as she tried to remember the name. "Oh right, the black girl."

Kim chuckled. Shego always identified people by what she deemed to be their defining trait, with little thought given to political correctness. It wasn't always physical. In Kim's case, the "Princess" nickname had been a reference to her cocky yet pampered attitude.

"He doesn't think I'm trying to steal you away, does he?" Shego asked seriously.

Kim sighed. "He probably does. And he seems more serious about it this time. I'll admit I flaked on him with Monique because I was afraid they wouldn't have anything in common, but I've been spending every waking moment with him and he's still freaking. I think he's jealous. And not in a way that's worth teasing him about either."

Shego wiped the sly grin off her face at that last remark. "It's funny; I thought we'd be enemies until the day one of us died, and here Stoppable's saying we're closer than you and him ever were as friends."

"It's not _that_ weird," Kim said as she grabbed her backpack. "I mean, when you turned good and all, it showed me that the only thing keeping us apart was that 'evil reputation' you hung onto. Now that you've given that up, we're kind of like sisters."

"Yeah…" Shego replied distantly. Almost disappointed, in fact. "Sisters."

"Shego?" Kim spoke, waving her hand in front of the pale woman's face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Shego answered in the same far off tone. '_Sisters? Why does that sound so… restricting?_' She shook her head, trying to rid it of the thoughts she definitely should _not_ be having. "I mean, yeah, I'm fine."

Kim didn't seem to notice Shego's inner battle with her thoughts. "Well, I've gotta head to cheer practice. Me and Ron'll meet you at Bueno Nacho afterwards."

"See ya," Shego replied emptily, lost in her thoughts. '_Goddamn it, what am I thinking? It's just a crush; it's just a crush…._'

* * *

"So your feelings _are_ beyond friendship," the old man observes.

"Hey, I never said I _wanted _to be just friends," Shego replies with a shrug. "It turns out it _was_ just a crush. I was just extending those feelings toward her because she was the first person who knew who I was and was nice to me anyway. Not because she was afraid, not out of pity, but just because she wanted to. I've never had anyone do that before. But I realized it wouldn't ever go anywhere. Didn't stop me from almost making a damn fool of myself."

"We have all done that," the old man opines.

"Not like this you haven't," Shego retorts.

* * *

"So, uh, Kim? We've known each other awhile, right?" She slapped her forehead. "Yeah, sure we've known each other. I tried to kill her for four years! Not the best conversation starter."

Up until a few weeks ago, Shego would have thought talking to herself as she prepped the blackboard for her morning class was crazy. But then people did crazy things for the sake of a crush. Shego had never been one to chicken out. When she wanted something, she got it, dammit! But this was totally different.

"Let's try this again," she told herself. "Uh, Kimmie, can I talk to you after class?" She sighed in disgust. "No, she'll think she's in trouble. And I'm short one icebreaker." She suddenly realized that she had run out of stuff to write on the board a long time ago and turned around to sit in her desk. That was when she noticed a rather large man with a crew cut and a brown sport-coat standing by the door. "GAH!" she screamed, fumbling the chalk. Sighing, she bent down and picked up the small white stick, sensing without looking that Mr. Barkin was watching her. This made her feel uncomfortable.

"Is there... anything I can help you with, Miss Go?" the burly Assistant Principal offered.

"How long have you been standing there?" Shego inquired in such an icy tone that anyone else in the world would have frozen solid.

As a retired Major for the U.S. Marine Corps, Steve Barkin was unfazed. "Long enough to realize why our... relationship didn't work out," he responded coolly. "Tell me, Miss Go, do you intend to pursue a relationship with one of the students here?"

"No, and not because I'm afraid of getting caught," Shego replied. "It's because I'd never have a chance with her anyway."

Barkin chuckled. "Miss Possible is a very special girl indeed. One of my favorite students. Also one of the most stubborn. I don't know what she sees in Stoppable, but there's little you can do to change her mind."

"I know," Shego said with a smile. "It's not like it'd work out anyway. I guess… I guess I'm just grateful that she was able to pull so many strings for me. It's just a crush, I swear."

"It better be," Barkin warned, leveling one of his massive fingers at Shego. "Or you'll find out how this school deals with pedophiles."

"She's eighteen," Shego pointed out just to see the older man's reaction. It was priceless.

"Yes… well… ah… I'll… see you at lunch," he said quickly before excusing himself from the room, muttering something under his breath.

Shego just smiled.

* * *

"It seems you are happy on the side of good," the old man observes. "Tell me: what made you consider evil to begin with?"

"Too many sacrifices," Shego responds bluntly. "Want a boyfriend or girlfriend? Sorry, but according to the almighty Hego, they 'can't be trusted.' But where is this paranoia when he gives every goddamn villain in the city the frequency to that infernal TV screen?!"

"It sounds like your brothers created many problems for you."

"You don't know the half of it," Shego responds. "Wait a minute, how do you know I had more than one brother?"

"I know many things related to the world of heroes," the man answers. "It is what I do."

Shego smiles. "Yeah, well did you know they're not actually my brothers? Biologically, anyway."

"I seem to recall reading that you were adopted," the old man says simply.

Shego nods. "And unlike them, I didn't grow up in the posh district of Go City. I grew up in a neighborhood so tough you could get shot while you were getting shot. Not exactly the best place to learn about concepts like 'justice' and 'equality' that Hego kept rambling on about. I never got to do anything for myself. It was always about 'the greater good' or some nonsense like that. I got tired of Hego's boy-scout version of heroics and decided to see what the other side had to offer."

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence," the old man says in agreement.

Shego chuckles. "Okay, now you're just running out of phrases."

"When writing, certain symbols must be repeated eventually. Some symbols are repeated more often than others," the man explains.

"That's better," Shego replies as she takes a sip of her almost empty drink. She signals to the bartender to get her a new one as she downs the last of it. "Anyway," she continues, "what they don't tell you is that while villains get to do all the fun stuff, it's the loneliest profession there is. Nobody's willing to trust each other because we all pride ourselves on our 'evil abilities,' backstabbing included. It got old after a while, so I quit. Kimmie was my ticket out of that dead-end contest over who has the biggest ego."

"It sounds as though she is a true blessing," the man observes.

"Yeah," Shego replies. "There's just one problem, though…."

* * *

"Shego! Shego, come here!" The call came from Kim's bathroom.

This brought the pale woman running from the guest room, where she had been staying until she could find a place of her own. "What is it, Kimmie?"

"Call my mom! I need her to look at something!" Kim did not sound like her usual self. She sounded panicked. Her voice was choked, and Shego realized that Kim was crying.

"Hang on!" She ran back to the guest room as quickly as she could and picked up the phone. Dialing frantically, she waited for what seemed like an eternity of ringing. Finally, there was an answer.

"Middleton General Hospital, how may I direct your call?" the receptionist answered as though she had repeated the phrase thousands of times.

"I need to speak with Dr. Possible," Shego said quickly, breathing heavily. "It's an emergency."

"Please hold while I page Dr. Possible," the receptionist replied, uncaring. Figured. Hospital workers had to deal with so many emergencies that they were usually jaded by the end of the first month. Kim's mom was an exception. Shego listened to the hold music for what seemed like an eternity before she heard a familiar female voice on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Dr. P, it's Shego. Kimmie needs you to come home and look at something."

"I'm kind of busy right now, Shego. Can it wait?"

Shego sighed. She had expected her to say that. "No, it can't. Anything that makes Kimmie cry coming out of the shower can't be good."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Dr. Possible replied with a new sense of urgency in her voice. "In the meantime, check her out and see what's got her so worried."

"Whoa, time out, Doc," Shego said in a shocked tone. "Are you saying you want me to 'check out' your daughter?"

"Just a preliminary examination, Shego," Dr. Possible assured her. "You're trained as a paramedic, right?"

"Pretty much had to be when I was a hero," Shego replied. "Ambulances aren't always able to get to the top floor of a skyscraper."

"That's good. I just want you to give her a once-over; see if it's anything that requires immediate attention. If it is, there's a first-aid kit right there in the bathroom."

"Gotcha," Shego said. "Get here soon."

"I'll try."

Shego listened to the dial tone for several seconds before gathering up the courage to go tell Kim what her mother had asked her to do. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "You okay in there, Kimmie?"

"Did you call my mom?"

"Yeah, I did," Shego answered. "She says she'll be here as soon as she can."

Shego thought for a second that she heard Kim sniff. "That's good."

"Uh, Kimmie?" Shego continued with uncertainty in her voice.

"What?"

"She said something else."

"What did she say?"

Shego cringed just thinking of Kim's reaction. "She wants me to go in there and… check you out."

Silence. Shego mentally cursed herself. She should have just waited for Kimmie's mom to get home. She started to walk away from the door when she heard the one word she thought she'd never hear Kim utter in this situation.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Shego was taken aback. "You seriously want me in there?"

"I'm covered up."

Shego sighed "Alright, hang on." She turned the door handle slowly, ready to look away if necessary. But when she saw Kim, she couldn't tear her eyes away.

Her hair was wet—understandably so since she'd just gotten out of the shower—and a towel was wrapped around her more private areas. Kim sat on the floor by the toilet, clutching her knees to her chest. She rocked gently back and forth. Whether it was the water from the shower or tears that streamed down her face Shego didn't know, but Kim definitely appeared unhappy. She steeled herself and spoke.

"You alright?" Shego cursed herself. What a stupid question. Of course she wasn't alright!

Kim simply shook her head.

"Do you…." Shego found herself unable to say anything further. "Do you want me to come over there and… have a look at you?"

Kim nodded.

Shego took a deep breath. "Where does it hurt?"

"It doesn't."

Now Shego was confused. "Whaddaya mean it doesn't? Why are you calling me in here if nothing hurts?"

Kim stretched out her leg and pointed to a rather large, misshapen mole that had developed on the inside of her right thigh.

Shego just stood there in shock. "Oh."

"I've had it for about a month now," Kim said with a sniffle. "I thought it was just a mole, but it keeps getting bigger. And today, when I was in the shower, it…."

"What?"

Kim began to cry. "It popped open!"

Shego put two and two together in her head. Large misshapen mole, bursting open in the shower…. "Oh, God, no," she whispered. "Please no."

"What is it?" Kim asked, tears still streaming down her face.

Shego sighed. "I'm not sure yet, but I think you may have… melanoma."

"What's that?"

Shego dipped her head and took a deep breath. "Skin cancer."

* * *

"My condolences," the old man says simply.

"Thanks," Shego replies. "That's not the worst of it…."

* * *

There was a reason that the halls of Middleton General Hospital were kept dry; people ran through them practically every ten seconds. When people's lives were on the line, there was no time to waste. But when you're the last to hear about something, you come running even faster than all the rest.

Which was why a blonde boy wearing a black and red jersey was zooming through the halls to get to the room where Kim was now turfed. Finding it, he came to a sudden halt and leaned against the door frame. "I got here as fast as I could," he panted.

"Ron, I found a potentially cancerous tumor on my leg; I didn't have a heart attack," Kim chided, lashing out even though Ron was just trying to express his concern. Ron was too winded to even respond.

"Be nice, honey," Kim's mother scolded. "Now then, since I'm a brain surgeon and not an Oncologist, I'll leave the explanation in the very capable hands of Dr. Ziebell. Ted?"

A balding man who looked to be in his late 40s held up a clipboard. "I'm afraid it's what we all feared. You have melanoma, Kim."

Kim simply lowered her head.

"Do you know what caused it?" Shego demanded. That would turn out to be a mistake.

"I was initially inclined to believe that Kim had contracted the tumor by excess exposure to the sun, but then I realized that it developed on a part of her leg that is usually covered given the outfits she wears. However, it's highly likely that some form of ultraviolet radiation was involved."

Shego appeared to pale even more than normal. "Did you say…." She gulped. "Ultraviolet radiation?"

"Yes, I did."

The green woman closed her eyes. "Damn it."

"What is it, Shego?" Dr. Possible inquired.

In response, Shego held up a glowing hand. "This thing gives off a low radiation," she said, indicating the flame. "Not enough to be harmful, though. I don't know how it could have—"

"Perhaps it's due to long-term exposure," Dr. Ziebell suggested. "Have you and Kim been in close physical proximity for the past few years?"

Shego groaned. "Uh, hello? Me and her used to _fight!_ Of course we've been close to each other!"

"How long has this been going on?"

"About four years," Shego responded quietly.

Dr. Ziebell adjusted his glasses and looked down at his chart to avoid making eye contact. "Then I'm afraid that until we find evidence to the contrary, _you_ are the cause of Kim's cancer."

This caught Kim's attention. "_You_ did this to me?" she screamed, outraged.

"Kim, I—"

"YOU gave me CANCER?!"

"Kimmie, I didn't mean to!" Shego insisted. "How the hell was I supposed to know my plasma was harmful?"

"I think it would be pretty obvious," Ron chimed in.

"Shut up, _sidekick!_" Shego snarled. "That's not what I meant!"

"It doesn't matter what you _meant_," Kim spat venomously. "What _matters_ is that you gave me a terminal disease! Get out!"

Shego appeared stunned. "Kim, I…."

"Get OUT!" Kim shouted, pointing to the door. When Shego refused to budge, she continued her assault of words. "How do I know you weren't planning this from the start? How do I know this wasn't just a scheme to ruin me? How do I know you don't still want to kill me?"

"Because I love you!" Shego yelled loud enough to stun everyone in the room into silence.

"What?" Kim asked. Her face was no longer angry. Instead, the girl was confused.

Shego sighed. No going back now. "I said I love you. I've loved you since about the fourth time I saw you. I love the way your eyes sparkle, the way your hair blows in the wind, the way you're the only person who could ever stand a chance against me in a fight…."

Kim just stared at her, wide-eyed. "Shego, I—"

"But none of that matters now," Shego continued. "I can't have you. I never could. You're dating Stoppable here for God knows why, while I'm stuck choosing between an endless string of the three stooges! I don't deserve you, Kimmie. You and I were never meant to be. Maybe this is the universe's way of telling me that. You want me gone? Fine. Goodbye." With that, she started to walk out the door.

"Shego, wait!" Kim yelled after her, but the green woman didn't even turn around. "Shego!"

Several moments later, she added quietly: "Shego."

* * *

"That sounds most distressing," the old man opines. "Now I see why you have gone through three glasses of absinthe since I've been sitting here."

"Yeah," Shego grumbles. "It happened earlier today. That's why I'm drinking so goddamn much." To prove her point, she takes another gulp of her drink, emptying the glass. She signals the bartender for another. "So what are you gonna do now that you know the whole story? You gonna tell me I should go back and work this out with her?"

"It is not my place to tell you what you should or should not do," the man replies. "We are all free to make our own choices in life."

"Thank you," Shego says, grabbing her drink from the bartender. Suddenly her leg pouch starts to vibrate. Growling, she pulls out her phone and looks at the Caller ID. Placing it to her ear, she demands: "Who the hell gave you this number?"

She does not appear pleased with the response. "Well you can tell that goddamn computer kid that I'm gonna find out where he lives, and I'm gonna personally fry every chip he has with my bare hands!" She pauses to allow the person on the other side to speak. "Uh-huh. Well I don't _want_ to see her. She told me to _get out,_ remember?" Another pause. "Well I'm in no mood to talk to her right now. She made her choice. She wants me gone, I'm gone. Goodbye!" She ignites her hand, turning the phone into slag. Grabbing her drink, she downs half the glass.

"Who was that?"

"Damn sidekick. He wants me to go work this out with Kimmie. He says she doesn't want to talk to anyone but me. Well, she can stay and rot in that hospital bed for all I care! She's the one who told me to leave!"

"Perhaps your choice to leave Possible-san was made in haste," the man offers. "There may be a point to Stoppable-san's advice."

"I thought you weren't going to tell me what to do," Shego snaps.

"I am not telling you to go see her," the old man reminds her. "I am merely pointing out that it would be the wisest decision. A weed, when cut, will only grow back again. But when pulled out by the root, it will never return."

"I can't solve my problems by running from them," Shego translates. "I have to go to the root of the problem."

The man simply nods.

Shego pulls her wallet out of the pouch on her leg and dumps a wad of cash on the counter, clearly worth more than she drank. But she does not appear to care. "Well, it was nice meeting you, whatever your name is. I'm gonna go see Kimmie now."

The man stands up. "I shall accompany you."

Shego appears insulted. "Really, I can do it myself."

"Actually, it appears we share a common destination. I was invited here by Stoppable-san. He would not tell me the details of my visit, but now I know all that I need to."

"Did you just talk to me for the last half-hour so you could pretend in front of Stoppable to already know why you're here?" Shego balks.

The man merely smiles.

"You're good," Shego says as they walk out of the bar.

* * *

"Master Sensei, you made it!" The greeting comes from Ron, who is sitting in the lobby as Shego and the old man approach. He thumps his chest twice and forms a peace sign with his hand, a gesture that is returned—much to Shego's surprise—by the man now identified as "Master Sensei." Shego smiles genuinely for the first time since she met the man. Ron turns to Shego with a serious look on his face. "She's in there waiting," he says quietly.

Shego nods in understanding. As she walks towards the door to the patients' rooms, she hears Ron say, "Yeah, Sensei, there's something I need to tell you about Kim…."

"I know, Stoppable-san. Kim-san has fallen gravely ill."

"Dang it, how do you always do that?" Ron whines.

"I have my sources," Sensei replies simply, tossing a wink to Shego. The green woman smiles before turning away and letting it fade into a blank expression. She arrives at Kim's room, and pauses to take a deep breath before turning the handle and poking her head inside the door.

The redhead lies supine, her chest rising and falling in a slow, consistent rhythm that simply mesmerizes Shego. The steady beat of the heart monitor has already faded from Shego's consciousness, becoming white noise as a result of all the years she has spent in hospitals. She gathers the courage to step fully through the door, the weight of what she is about to do accompanying her every step. Kim begins to stir, and a pair of green eyes crack open.

"Shego?"

"Hey."

"I'm sorry about earlier."

"No need," Shego dismisses. "I was the one who yelled at you and left you all by yourself."

"I wasn't all by myself," Kim whispers. "But I still missed you. I'm sorry I flipped out on you like that. I was scared."

"I would be too, to tell you the truth," Shego admits. "Do you want me to stand over here?"

Kim chuckles. "I've already got cancer, silly. Pull up a chair."

Shego complies. "So what did the doctors say? Can they operate? Are you gonna be okay?"

The younger woman shakes her head. "It's spread to my lymph nodes, Shego. It's already in the late stages. I've only got two months to live."

"But shouldn't it have shown up before?" Shego questions. "I mean, doesn't it usually start on the skin before it gets that far?"

Kim smiles faintly, as though accepting her fate. "I've had the tumor a lot longer than a month, Shego. A little over a year, in fact. You know how stubborn I can be."

"And it took it finally popping in the shower to get you to have it checked out?" Shego scolds. "Why didn't you do anything about it?"

"I just didn't feel like it," Kim says with a shrug. "And that was good enough reason for me. It doesn't matter now anyway. What's done is done. I'm gonna die, Shego. It's all gonna be over in two months."

"Don't say that," Shego snaps. "Don't you dare say that! You're gonna get better, dammit! Aren't you always saying anything's possible for a Possible?"

"Yeah," Kim says serenely. "Anything's possible. Even death. But I've come to peace with it."

"How?" Shego asks. "How could you not be afraid of dying?"

"Because you finally did it," Kim replies simply.

"Did what?" Shego demands.

"Told me you loved me. That you didn't hate me. That you didn't want to kill me. It's what I've been trying to get you to say all along."

"You wanted me to tell you I loved you? You were a lesbian all these years?" Shego is clearly confused.

Kim smiles. "No, it's not that. I finally got closure with you, Shego. All those years of fighting and it turns out you care for me more than anything in the world. Out of all the victories I've had, all the people I've saved, all the accomplishments I've made in my life, that's the one thing I'm most proud of. It's the one thing I wanted to do before I died. See you turn back to good."

"But I'm not good!" Shego protests. "I'm evil! I yelled at you and left you to die! You hate me! You have to keep on fighting to see me reform!"

"Quit lying to yourself, Sheeg," Kim says, amused. "The only reason you went evil was because of your brothers and their style of 'good.' You were born to be a hero. You're not evil. And I don't hate you. I believe in you, Shego, and that's enough for me. I'm ready to die."

Shego doesn't say anything else. She can't think of the words. All she can do is reach out her hand and hold Kim's. "What about Stoppa—I mean Ron? What about your parents? What about your friends at school? What about the people you _save_, for crap's sake?! What about them?!" She is screaming now.

"They'll survive," Kim says. "They've got you. Promise me you'll look after all of them once I'm gone."

"Dammit, Kimmie, no!" Shego yells. "Don't give up! Fight it! Fight it with all you've got!"

"This is one battle I can't win, Shego," Kim says softly. "I've made peace with it. Now it's your turn."

"Dammit, no…." Shego whispers, dipping her head. "I can't do it. I can't. Why are you asking me to do this?"

"Because I love you too."

Shego raises her head. "You what?"

"You're not deaf, Shego. I said I love you too."

"You… do?"

Kim nods. "But not that way. I love you as a friend, maybe even as a sister, but not in the same way you love me. I hope it's enough."

Shego does something she hasn't done since the day she got her powers. She cries.

"Hey," Kim whispers, placing Shego's hand in her own. "It's okay. You still have two more months with me. Promise me you'll be strong."

"I will," Shego says simply with a sniff. "I promise."

"That's good," Kim replies, closing her eyes.

As if on cue, a nurse steps into the room. "Miss? We're not allowing visitors anymore. I'm afraid you'll have to leave."

Shego looks expectantly at Kim, who simply nods and releases the green woman's hand. "I'll be fine, Sheeg. The doctors tell me I need my rest. I'm starting chemo tomorrow."

The green woman nods. "I understand, Kimmie. I'll be there for you." She begins to walk towards the door. Just before she exits, she turns around and faces Kim. "One more thing, Kimmie."

"What?"

"I really do love you."

Kim smiles. "I know. I love you too, Shego."

"Good night."

"Good night."

* * *

**Two Months Later**

The day is bright and sunny, a golden orb shining brilliantly in an endless sea of blue. There are no traces of clouds to be found, and only the occasional flock of birds returning from their winter migration interrupts the omnipresent blue. Spring has come, and wildflowers spring up from the ground, beautifying the landscape and spreading joy everywhere. But one woman is not moved by the festive display.

Her garments display her trademark combination of black and green, though she has chosen to go heavier on the black today. In her right hand she holds a bouquet of roses; cliché, but appropriate. She walks slowly, determination behind her every step. Stopping at a large piece of polished granite, she reads the inscription.

_Possible, Kimberly Anne_

_1989-2007_

_Hero, honor student, friend. She put her life on the line for the sake of others, asking nothing in return. She will be sorely missed._

At the bottom is a quote:

"_The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."_

_-Arthur C. Clarke_

Shego smiles at the oddly appropriate piece of wisdom. It fits Kim's approach to life so well. Bending down reverently, she places the roses at the foot of the tombstone. She stands up and allows her long hair to sway in the wind, placing her hands in the pocket of the black windbreaker in which she is clad. She stands there for several minutes, going over the situation in her head. She has come here for one purpose: repairing her soul.

"I don't know what you expect me to say," she begins. "It's not like you can hear me anyway. But, that crazy old man says it's good for dealing with loss, so hell, why not give it a shot?"

Just as she expects, the low sound of the wind blowing through the graveyard is her only answer.

"Your funeral was last week. You would have loved it. Stoppable got up on stage and gave a huge dramatic speech about how you were an inspiration to millions, how you accepted everybody regardless of their social standing… and then his pants fell down halfway through. Everybody laughed, especially me. I know it's probably not good form to do that at a funeral, but damn, that was funny!" She chuckles. "I'm sure you would have laughed, too. Ron's a good guy. I think I see now why you were so interested in him. He treated you better than I ever would have."

The wind blows ever harder, forcing Shego to speak up, even though she is only talking to herself.

"I got back together with Steve," Shego continues. "He's really quite a gentleman if you can ignore his quirks. He just needs a good teacher to show him how to loosen up a bit. I think I'm woman enough for the job." She pauses. "And Stoppable—I mean Ron, he's dating that Yori chick now. I know you're probably jealous, but trust me, he's in good hands. She practically worships the ground he walks on. I'm sure that's the kind of girl you would've wanted for him."

Wind begins to kick up sand, forcing Shego to squint. It is as if all of nature is telling her to leave now; to stop before she embarrasses herself. But she stands firm.

"They started a foundation in your honor. 'The New Team Possible,' they're calling it. It's a martial arts academy. I took a job as one of the instructors there to supplement my teaching income. It's also an after school program for underprivileged youth. It's non-profit, and GJ takes care of all the funding. I'm sure that's how you would have wanted it."

The wind now blows ferociously around Shego, but she ignores the distraction. Nothing will deter her from what she is about to say.

"I want to thank you, Kim. Without you, I'd probably end up dead in a gutter somewhere. The life I was involved in had too many risks for me to settle down. That was kinda the point at first, but you showed me that anything's possible, even living a happy life without trying to take over the world. I resisted you, ignored what you were trying to tell me for years, even tried to kill you because I couldn't bring myself to admit that you're the best damn thing that's ever happened to me. I love you, Kim. I love you so much."

Tears begin to stream down Shego's cheeks. Years of repressed emotion finally release in this grand admission. Shego feels as though a tremendous weight has just been lifted off her shoulders. But she's not done yet.

"I'm gonna do you proud, Kimmie. Between me and GJ, most of the villains that you used to fight have been put away for good. Drakken surrendered right away once he realized that without me, he was nothing." She snickers. "The doofus pissed his pants when I lit up my fists and threatened to castrate him unless he turned himself in."

She sighs. "You may not be alive anymore, Kim, but the fire you started in the hearts and minds of the people will never be extinguished. Not as long as I'm alive."

At that, the wind dies down suddenly, as though it was waiting for her to say those very words. Shego smirks.

"I'll never forget you, Kim. And I'll always owe you one. If you ever need a favor, you know where to find me. Have fun in paradise, kiddo."

With that, she turns and walks away.


End file.
